POLICY WATCH

NEFB-PAC Endorsed Candidates Advance

Nebraska Farm Bureau thanks its members for making their voice heard by turning out to the polls for Nebraska’s Primary Election. With your support, the overwhelming majority of Nebraska Farm Bureau Political Action Committee (NEFB-PAC) endorsed candidates advanced to the General Election.

After a very tight and hard-fought race where close to $20 million was spent in the Primary Election, NEFB-PAC endorsed candidate Jim Pillen won the Republican nomination for governor. He will face off against Democrat Carol Blood in November.

The NEFB-PAC also endorsed Bob Evnen for secretary of state, John Murante for state treasurer, and Mike Hilgers for attorney general in statewide races. Three congressional candidates earned NEFB-PAC’s endorsement, District 1 candidate Mike Flood, District 2 Rep. Don Bacon, and District 3 Rep. Adrian Smith. Paul Kenney was endorsed for District 6 University Board of Regents and 14 legislative candidates earned the endorsement of the NEFB-PAC as well.

Of those 22 NEFB-PAC endorsed candidates, all but one, a legislative candidate who narrowly lost, advanced to the General Election.

NEFB-PAC Endorsed Candidates Advancing to the General Election:

Executive Branch
Governor – Jim Pillen
Secretary of State – Bob Evnen
State Treasurer – John Murante
Attorney General – Mike Hilgers

U.S. House of Representatives
District 1 – Mike Flood
District 2 – Don Bacon
District 3 – Adrian Smith

Nebraska Legislature
District 2 – Robert Clements
District 4 – Brad von Gillern
District 12 – Merv Riepe
District 16 – Ben Hansen
District 22 – Mike Moser
District 30 – Myron Dorn
District 32 – Tom Brandt
District 34 – Loren Lippencott
District 36 – Rick Holdcroft
District 38 – Dave Murman
District 44 – Teresa Ibach
District 48 – Brian Hardin and Don Lease II

Board of Regents
Paul Kenney

While the General Election is not until November, a Special Election to fill the vacant seat of Congressional District 1 was ordered by Gov. Pete Ricketts to be held on June 28, 2022.  The NEFB-PAC endorsed candidate Mike Flood has been selected by the Republican Party to run in this Special Election. He will be running against Democrat Patty Pansing-Brooks.

In a little over a month, NEFB will once again be urging its members to mail in ballots or turn out to the polls to ensure Mike Flood is elected to serve the first congressional district.

Additional information about the upcoming special election will be available through the Nebraska Secretary of State’s website at sos.nebraska.gov.

Comment Period Extended for Concerning SEC Rule!

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) extended its comment period of a proposed rule to require publicly traded companies to provide climate related information from their entire supply chain in their filings and annual reports, including potentially invasive and burdensome information about farms. Comments are now due by June 17, 2022.

Farm Bureau has deep concerns that the SEC is proposing a rule that will subject farmers to regulations that are intended for Wall Street. Unlike large corporations currently regulated by the SEC, farmers don’t have teams of compliance officers and attorneys dedicated to handling SEC compliance issues. Increased costs, legal liabilities, and privacy concerns could create obstacles to ensuring food security at a time when the world is increasingly looking to America’s farmers for help. We need your help to urge the SEC to avoid enacting regulations that will keep farmers and ranchers from focusing on growing the food, fuel, and fiber this country needs.

Write to the SEC today and tell them to stop this invasive regulatory overreach! Deadline is June 17, 2022.

President Biden Announces Several New Ag Initiatives

From a farm in Illinois, President Joe Biden announced several new programs the administration is undertaking to address a number of challenges created for farmers, ranchers, and consumers due to inflation, supply chain challenges, as well as the conflict in Ukraine. Those new USDA initiatives are as follows:

• Increase the number of counties eligible for double cropping insurance. Double cropping allows farmers to plant a second crop on the same land in the same year, helping boost production without relying on farmers to substitute crops or cultivate new land. But it is not free from risk and some farmers who practice double cropping cannot obtain crop insurance. The Biden-Harris administration is seeking to expand insurance for double cropping to as many as 681 additional counties, bringing the total number of counties where this practice qualifies for crop insurance to as many as 1,935, so more American farmers have the financial security they need to start or expand double cropping. A map of the new counties now eligible for double cropping insurance protection can be found here.

• Cut costs for farmers by increasing technical assistance for technology-driven “precision agriculture” and other nutrient management tools. Precision agriculture is a farm management system that allows farmers to use technology to target application of inputs to soil and plant needs, resulting in less fertilizer usage without reducing yields, saving farmers money over time, and extending the usefulness of critical products in short supply worldwide. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has planning and cost sharing assistance programs available to help American farmers with nutrient management. The Biden-Harris administration is working to boost outreach to farmers, streamline the application process, and prioritize application approvals to expand access to these critical programs.

• Double funding for domestic fertilizer production. Fertilizer prices have more than doubled since last year, due in part to supply chain disruptions created and exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including rising energy costs. Today, President Biden is announcing that he is doubling his initial $250 million investment in domestic fertilizer production to $500 million to lower costs and boost availability for farmers, so they can obtain the inputs they need at prices they can afford to maximize yields.

Farm Bureau Disappointed in First WOTUS Roundtable

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held the first of ten stakeholder meetings regarding changes to the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) Rule. American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is calling for more viewpoints in future roundtables.

The EPA’s first WOTUS roundtable Monday didn’t address farmers’ need for clear rules, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Courtney Briggs, AFBF senior director of government affairs, says the first roundtable lacked diversity needed to discuss WOTUS.

Learn more in the latest episode of Newline from AFBF.